Vernonia School District v. Acton (47J) - Significance, Stimulus, Response, An Invasion Of Privacy?, In Loco Parentis, Impact, Teenagers And The Availability Of Drugs

court petitioner john washington

Petitioner

Vernonia School District 47J

Respondent

Wayne Acton, et al.

Petitioner's Claim

That a school policy mandating random drug testing for participants in interscholastic athletic programs did not violate Fourth Amendment prohibitions against illegal search and seizure.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner

Timothy R. Volpert, John A. Matterazzo, Davis Wright Tremaine

Chief Lawyer for Respondent

Thomas M. Christ, John A. Wittmayer, Steven R. Shapiro

Justices for the Court

Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthony M. Kennedy, William H. Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia (writing for the Court), Clarence Thomas

Justices Dissenting

Sandra Day O'Connor, David H. Souter, John Paul Stevens

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

26 June 1995

Decision

Upheld the school district's claim, vacating a judgement by the court of appeals and remanding the case for further proceedings in the court of appeals consistent with a finding that Vernonia's student athlete drug testing policy did not violate Fourth Amendment prohibitions against unreasonable search and seizure.

Related Cases

Delaware v. Prouse, 440 U.S. 648 (1979).
New Jersey v. T.L.O., 469 U.S. 325 (1985).
Skinner v. Railway Executives' Association, 489 U.S. 602 (1989).

Sources

Bureau of Justice Statistics Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics--1996. Washington, DC: U.S. Government, 1997.

Vernonia School District v. Acton (47J) - Stimulus

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s drug use, violence, and disciplinary problems in the nation's schools captured public attention as never before. During this period schools began routine searches of students for weapons, and confiscated a surprising array of firepower in this manner. Although some analysts reported that drug use among students had fallen from its high in the mid-to-late 1970s,…

Vernonia School District v. Acton (47J) - Response

In an effort to counteract what was perceived as a rise of illegal drug use among its students, the Vernonia School District searched for an effective antidrug policy. Given the high prestige of student athletes, the school district decided to focus its antidrug abuse efforts within its interscholastic athletic programs. After consultation with the district's parents, a Student Athlete Drug Policy…

Vernonia School District v. Acton (47J) - An Invasion Of Privacy?

James Acton, a seventh grade student, expressed his desire to play football for a Vernonia school in the fall of 1991. He and his parents refused to sign the required consent form, however, believing that submission to random drug testing constituted an unreasonable invasion of Acton's privacy as guaranteed in the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. The school district therefore forbade Acton from p…

Vernonia School District v. Acton (47J) - In Loco Parentis

In deciding this case, the Court noted the special status of students, who are voluntarily put under the authority of school personnel by their parents. As such, school officials function as de facto parents while students are in their charge, and there are no constitutional guidelines for nonviolent parental discipline of children to ensure order. The Court also observed that athletes engaged in …

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